


Ember Island Ambush

by BirdInTheCave



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Ashmaker (Avatar) is a Slur, Broken Bones, Burns, Doubt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire Nation (Avatar) is Cruel, Found Family, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, Katara's POV, Muzzles, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Brother, mentions of torture, slight introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27927538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdInTheCave/pseuds/BirdInTheCave
Summary: Hiding in plain sight didn't work out quite as initially planned. Everything had been going great until one night, while out on the beach together, a small group of Fire Nation officers attacked and caught them all off guard. They're taken captive, taunted and hurt at the hands of a cruel Naval captain. Katara watches, and listens, and screams as they sit helpless to do anything but listen until they're given the opportunity to escape.There are some things, she thinks, she needs to apologize for after it all comes to an end.
Relationships: Katara & The Gaang (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 132





	Ember Island Ambush

**Author's Note:**

> This is not nearly as good as you might expect it to be and I'm sorry for that in advance. 
> 
> This was never supposed to end up this long, either, however, I hope you enjoy it. I usually don't make a habit out of writing things from the perspective of characters other than my favorite, in this case, Zuko, but it kind of just happened and I think I'm okay with how it turned out.

It was only because they were taken by surprise that they were taken at all.

They had found peace in Ozai's old vacation home the past two weeks. They had allowed themselves to relax despite the threat of the quickly approaching comet looming over their heads. They had needed the break, they'd said. They couldn't win a war while wound tighter than a spring, they'd said. That had been their first mistake.

Fire Nationalists had managed to sneak up close to the bonfire they'd set up on the Fire Lord's private beach. They'd been laughing, listening to Sokka spin their wild adventures into even wilder fairytales that had even Aang on the edge of his seat despite the fact that he had lived through each and every story Sokka told. Even Zuko, depicted as dramatic evil overlord, cracked a few poorly hidden smiles illuminated by the fire's dancing orange glow. It was then, at their most vulnerable, that the fire lashed out like a frightened octopuss, tendrils of flame licking at their exposed skin as armored firebenders lept from the bushes lining the edge of the beach.

It seems so stupid on paper. Attacking the Avatar and a master waterbender on a beach under the light of the moon, waves lapping at the sand. Perhaps it's the idiocy of the attack that lends to its success. Katara never imagined having to face such a tactic and that hubris ultimately lead to her failure.

For one horrifying moment, she thinks that Zuko finally betrayed them. He waited until he'd gained all their trust and earned his place amongst them before he pulled the metaphorical rug out from beneath their feet and sent them toppling.

She struggles against the arms wrapped around her middle, pinning her arms to her sides while a separate pair of hands yanked her wrists together and tactfully bound them with scratchy twine. She can do nothing but watch helplessly as Aang collapses in the sand, unconscious. Watch as Toph desperately tries to sense the enemy but ultimately fails due to the sand beneath her feet. She can hear Sokka somewhere behind her, fighting creatively with his ebony blade, but as she's pushed to her knees beside the smoldering fire pit she hears him spitting increasingly intricate Water Tribe curses she knows they've taken him down too.

Toph joins her beside the fire pit, shoved to her knees at Katara's left. She can barely make out Toph in the dim moonlight, her eyes still adjusting to the sudden loss of fire, but she doesn't need to see to know there's a furious scowl on the young girl's face. Sokka joins them at Katara's right with a grunt and Aang's limp body is tossed in front of them carelessly. He lands too close to the simmering embers for Katara's comfort, dots of dying flame singeing the loose orange fabric of his tunic.

"Fight me like men, you cowards!" Toph declares, yanking at the binds holding her wrists hostage, same as both Katara and her brother. Katara notes that while the three of them are skillfully bound with twine Aang is restrained with thick manacles around both his wrists and ankles. They knew not to underestimate him now and that settled a cold pit of dread in her stomach.

The men laugh at Toph's outburst, not even bothering to spare her a glance. It's so condescending that Katara wants to scream, freeze them where they stand and watch them tremble and shiver not only from the cold but from her show of strength and power. She knows she can't, not with her wrists crossed behind her back, but she wants nothing more in that moment.

"Where's Suki, you bastards?" Sokka snarls, all protective fire and Water Tribe warrior. Katara knows their father would be proud at the display of bravery.

Now that her eyes have finally adjusted fully to the silver light of the moon she can see that the armor their attackers wear is that of naval officers, not that of army men or bounty hunters. Her heart thuds in her chest, adrenaline and anxiety creating a painful cocktail in her very veins She remembers that Zuko had once commanded a ship of his own. A crew loyal to only him. A part of her is guilty thinking so little of a teenager she forced to work for her forgiveness. Another part of her feels validated, still holding doubt for the firebender close to her chest.

The men ignore Sokka the same as they did Toph, watching the treeline with a dedication and fervor that made pride swell in Katara's chest. _That's right,_ She thinks, _You should be afraid of Suki._ She doesn't think of Zuko. Thinking of him only brings pain, right now.

Some leaves rustle, the crunch of twigs snapping underfoot, and everyone collectively perks up at the noise. Katara feels hope bloom in her, praying to see Suki emerge from the bushes to take out the three ashmakers guarding them. She can hear Sokka beside her, muttering a prayer to Yue under his breath, begging her to keep them all safe. Her heart aches and she finds herself inclined to join him as Suki is lead from the trees with manacles identical to Aang's clasped around her wrists and another two firebenders-- significantly bruised-- at her back. Her clothes are burned, a hole in the fabric at her hip exposing a heavy burn on her side.

Sokka sucks in a sharp breath as Suki is shoved to the ground beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly, a whisper beneath the push and pull of the waves.

Suki winces, awkwardly leaning into Sokka's side, but she offers him a reassuring smile all the same, "I'm okay." She promises, turning the smile to Katara and offering a soft nod in greeting despite the situation. Katara wants to call bullshit, seeing the wound closer revealed charred flesh and exposed tendons and muscle. The burn is certainly third-degree and Katara feels fury and nausea flare hot in her stomach at the sight. She yearns to reach out and call the water to her palms, soothe the burn and knit the skin back together, but she's resigned herself to cursing her bindings once again.

Aang grunts, murmuring softly as his gray eyes flutter open. He looks dazed but Katara sees no sign of a concussion and she hopes it stays that way. He tries to shift his arms in front of him and immediately looks more alert when faced with resistance and the gentle jangle of chains. His eyes meet hers and she offers him a helpless look.

"Good," One of the men smirks down at the children he's holding hostage. Katara sneers at his satisfaction, unable to understand how anyone could feel proud taking down a group of kids. It was unfair how the world rested in their hands. It was unfair the danger they lived in. "You're all awake." He offers Suki a sideways glance, "For now."

Sokka mirrors Katara's sneer, the sibling resemblance impeccable, and promptly spits at the man. The wad of saliva plats on the soldier's show, dribbling down the black boot. The soldier growls, orange irises darkening as he reels an arm back and slams his fist directly into Sokka's face.

Their group cries out in outrage as Sokka's head snapped back with an audible crunch. Sokka works his jaw and winces, gritting his teeth against the pain, blood seeping from his now crooked nose and spilling over his dark lips. He glares coldly up at the soldier, "That the best you got?" The man frowns, moving to lash out again, and Katara hisses threats like her life depends on it. For all she knows Sokka's might.

One of the other soldiers stops his companion, a hand on his bicep keeping the next punch from landing. The man yanks his arm from the other's grasp but calms nonetheless. He turns to the vegetation again, angry eyes glaring into the darkness. "You can come out now, Prince Zuko!" He calls, voice echoing through the cold night air.

The dread that had made its home in Katara's stomach doubled in size, clogging her throat. She waits with bated breath for a betrayal merely a few weeks back she would've thought inevitable. She hates the doubt that coils around her spirit, but now its seed has been planted and the roots have dug in. Zuko had done a lot to earn her forgiveness, sacrificed his own safety time and time again, but even at the end of it all Zuko was Fire Nation, fire and foremost.

"Don't be shy!" A different man, a bruise forming on his jaw from Suki's ferocious fists, hollers tauntingly. Katara's mouth tastes sour, a telltale sign of the bile rising at the back of her throat. Was she wrong? She wanted so badly to be wrong. As horrible as it sounds, even in the relative safety of her own mind, she would much prefer Zuko suffering on his knees with the rest of them as opposed to towering over them as an enemy.

A tension rises in the silence that seems to suffocate them. Katara times her breathing carefully to the water gently lapping at the shoreline, urging her angry heart to calm down and focus on the task at hand. She couldn't afford to lose her head right now. They may have been caught by surprise but this wasn't the first time the odds had been stacked against them and she wouldn't let this be the last. She wouldn't sit back and embrace failure because the shock of it left her shaken. Sokka may have been the man of the tribe but he was not the only Water Tribe warrior here.

There's an almost silent shimmy of the foliage off to her right, nothing that couldn't be brushed off and chalked up to a particularly strong breeze. It's the only warning they get before Zuko is lunging from the treeline with a blinding blast of fire that arcs over the gang's heads and coats the soldiers' chestplates in soot. Zuko, not one to leave his enemies an opening, vaults himself over the remnants of their fire and promptly lands an expert flying kick to the very soldier who had laid his hands on Sokka mere minutes ago. The prince falls with the attack, rolling gracefully to his feet and sending a barrage of fire towards the men's exposed faces. They have no option but to move back or block the attack lest they want a scar to rival Zuko's own. Four stumble back, waving away the stray tongues of fire that reach towards their features, while two move to dismiss the attack and fall into a stance to deliver their own. Zuko is quick to drop down, sweeping their feet out from underneath them while simultaneously reaching out and snatching open of the soldiers by the ankle. Zuko uses the momentum of the man's fall to chuck him back at the others still regaining their footing on the unreliable ground, knocking them onto their asses with an ease that used to upset Katara when those skills had been directed at her and her friends.

It all happens in a matter of seconds. Quick, precise attacks from an experienced combatant. Katara barely manages to follow, whipping her head around to try and keep an eye on the Fire Lord's son. He's behind her now, the waves to her left, the wildlife and the home they've been staying at off to her right, and the embers of their once jovial bonfire dying before her. She cranes her neck to see what was happening, sharing an uncertain look with Sokka as they look on.

"Zuko!" She cries, spotting movement at the prince's feet. Zuko jerks, turning to face her, but as he twists the soldier at his feet tackles him from behind and sends them both to the ground with a rough thud.

"Hey!" Sokka shouts, halfway to his feet despite the fact he'd be no use to the firebender with his hands bound as they were. They watch as Zuko bucks, trying to push himself up with the added weight of the soldier straddling the small of his back and shoving his face into the sand. "You need to learn to keep your hands to yourself." Sokka snaps through gritted teeth, even his rage unable to hinder his silver tongue.

Sokka, of course, is ignored in favor of the men working to pin Zuko's arms behind him. They wrench his arms back, one man holding his shoulders down to stop the squirming while the man practically sitting on him wrestles his thin wrists into a pair of manacles matching Suki and Aang's. Zuko spits a curse into the sand that means nothing to Katara but has the soldiers growling insults of their own back at the captured royal. Sokka is pulling at his restraints almost violently as Zuko is manhandled to his knees beside Toph before his ankles, too, are neatly settled into one last set of metal cuffs.

"They're just a bunch of kids," One of the men scoffs, this one sporting a bloody gash across his left cheekbone from what Katara could only assume to be one of Suki's fans. "Almost too easy."

Toph sneers at that, her young features twisting into something angry and powerful, "Fight me on even ground and see how easy it is." She threatens, shifting her legs in front of her and digging her toes into the sand in an attempt to get a better look at everything going on. If the annoyance flaring in her dull eyes was anything to go by the attempt wasn't very successful.

"Who sent you?" Zuko asks, glaring up at their captors through shaggy bangs. The fire in his eyes is more than simple firebending and more than simple anger. It's the same look she's seen in Sokka's eyes when someone from the tribe had insulted her. The exact same look in his eyes when Jet had hurt her. It's the fire of a protective older brother, sizing up the enemy and preparing to throw themselves into the fray for the honor of their family. Katara hates how surprised she is to see that look on his face. She feels unworthy of the warmth it stirs up in her chest after having so much doubt in where his loyalties lie.

The man seemingly in charge, the man who'd hurt her brother, steps away from his men and stares down his nose at Zuko, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." He drawls in lieu of an answer, a twisted grin creeping across his youthful face. How young are soldiers indoctrinated into the Fire Nation army? What lies are they fed to make them so loyal to such a tyrannical overlord? How many of them are just as cruel as the Fire Lord himself? He lowers himself into a crouch, elbows resting casually on his knees as if he was simply talking to a harmless citizen and not a royal firebending master. The words that ooze from his heathenous lips fill Katara with rage and she struggles to keep her mouth shut. "Though, I suppose you fell from grace many years ago, now." He says, and Katara bites her tongue so hard copper coats her tastebuds.

Zuko scowls, smoke dancing in tendrils from his lips as he pants from the exertion of his struggle. The leader's grin is almost feral as he leans just a touch closer, a mere foot or so from Zuko's face, "No one sent us, _your Highness_ ," the title is hissed with no respect, a skid mark on his tongue, "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." A pause, "Unlucky."

The reaction is instantaneous, Zuko grits his teeth and a small plume of flame gushes from his nostrils like an angry lion-bull. That seems to be the exact reaction the soldiers were looking for, the leader swiftly stretching back up to his feet and turning to his men wearing almost identical sinister expressions. It was an eerie sight, Fire Nation officers all grinning like madmen under the gentle light of the moon. Katara felt a shudder wrack her frame that had nothing to do with the cold. "What do you want?" She snaps, speaking up for the first time. "You can't possibly need all of us." The leader waves her off with a lazy flick of his wrist. He doesn't bother responding, one of the soldiers snorting in amusement at the audacity of a simple Water Tribe savage. Katara seethes. "No answer? Is it because you think you're too good to answer me or because you were too stupid to come up with a plan."

"Katara," Aang starts, uncertain. Concerned and looking far too helpless. Katara wonders if they all feel as helpless as she does. It's hard to remember a time when she last felt so useless, though in reality it couldn't have been more than a few months ago.

"I can't imagine the Fire Lord not wanting to meet face-to-face with the children trying to put an end to his reign," Bruised-jaw offers up as one of his fellow men wanders back towards the bushes to retrieve something she couldn't quite make out in the shadows. "I'm sure he'd love to meet the Avatar and his friends, slaughter each and every one of you with his own hands."

_But Aang's the Avatar,_ She wants to say, _He'll come back and stop him._ But she knows that even if the Avatar was reborn mere seconds after Aang's untimely death there would be no time. Sozin's Comet would be coming in a week's time, now. They were the only hope of keeping the world from going up in flames and maintaining balance. She couldn't imagine them coming this close only to die at Ozai's hands. She glances at Zuko and wonders if he'd be spared. She doesn't think it would be much of a life to live even if he survived.

"I'm sure he'd love to know how his armies could only capture a few kids when they were caught off guard." Sokka shoots back. At his side, Suki isn't looking so good, leaning heavily against him with a thin sheen of sweat glistening on her pale skin and a haze of pain glazing over her eyes. Katara swallows thickly and turns her icy glare back to the ashmakers threatening them.

"Maybe we shouldn't give you the chance." The leader offers, lighting up his fist in flames. "Your corpses will have just as much value." The orange glow shares none of the warmth and comfort that their bonfire had, dancing shadows it promising only pain.

The fire dies just as quickly as it had appeared and the leader holds out a hand towards the solider that had grabbed their secret from the bushes. It's curved metal, dark steal shining under the low light, and Katara easily spots the leather straps and buckles hanging loose from each side of the jagged piece. A muzzle, she realizes with a horrified pang. Zuko jerks at the sight, leaning away as the leader comes back towards them with a purpose and excitement in his step. Bruised-jaw follows after his captain, easily stepping around Zuko and holding him still with one hand braced on the prince's shoulder and the other tangled in his mess of black hair. "It's best not to fight it, Prince Zuko." the leader smirks, leaning down and extending the muzzle towards Zuko's face.

Zuko, restrained as he is, does his best to jerk away, "Get that fucking thing away from me." He seethes, trying to turn his face away but unable to move it out of range due to the hand yanking his head back by the hair. The leader fits the metal over the bottom half of Zuko's face without much difficulty, the contraption almost perfectly fitting over his mouth and nose and ducking under his chin just enough to ensure his jaw remained clamped shut. Bruised-jaw shoves Zuko's head forward, grabbing the first set of leather straps and securing them tightly at the nape of his neck while the leader holds the Prince still. They pay no mind to the gang's protests and hissed threats, moving to secure the second straps right above Zuko's ears and around the back of his head. They seems confident that the muzzle won't be going anywhere and step back, sharing a laugh with their crew mates as Zuko pants and glares daggers at the ground.

"Not so talkative now?" Sliced-cheek remarks, gaining another round of roaring laughter from his companions.

Katara sees how Zuko flushes, red coloring the uncovered part of his unscarred cheek. He doesn't lift his head, doesn't make a sound, and she swears there are tears glistening in his eyes.

"You barbarians," Katara lashes out, struggling against her own binds and almost shrieking in frustration at how they don't so much as budge. "Do you have any honor at all? To antagonize and disrespect a bound man who bravely put up a fight." She knows that honor is important among Fire Nationalists, a lot of their culture focusing on the honor of their actions and their people. She'd heard it from Zuko, from the stories he'd told and memories he'd shared. Hearing it from him, it was easy to see that the Fire Nation could be a respectable and kind place but every time they were attacked she was reminded that his ancestors had ruined it and it was their job to bring it back to its former glory.

The leader turns back to them, fire in his hands, and aims a blast. Katara flinches, eyes wide, and she wonders if that ball of flame was hot enough to kill her in one blow. But it doesn't hit her. The fireball slams into the fire pit, sending their bonfire ablaze like it had never been out in the first place and forcing Aang to squirm away before he caught on fire himself. "I don't think you're in a place to be tossing around insults, girl, but if you'd like to keep things interesting I'm sure we could offer some entertainment." He waves for his men to fall in, Bruised-jaw and Sliced-cheek walking back over to the group without further prompting while the two unarmed soldiers stay behind to keep an eye out on their surroundings.

The leader paces behind them, trailing a hand wreathed in flames over their heads and watching them squirm, "The Fire Nation isn't kind to prisoners of war. Those who dare deny the Fire Lord aren't deserving of simple punishment and firebenders aren't known to be the most cool-headed people." He explains as if she'd asked. As if she cared to listen to his excuses and thinly veiled threats. "We don't care for you other nations, you're beneath us, and whether you want to share in our way of life is irrelevant. You'll either bow before us or burn." His fingers brush her shoulder and Katara can't help the wince that the pain pulls from her lungs.

"Don't touch her!" Sokka shouts, all of his wit and humor flying out the window at the sight of his sister hurt. The leader, in turn, rests his flaming hand on Sokka's bare shoulder and basks in the sound of the boy's scream.

"Stop!" Katara and Suki shout in unison. There are tears in Suki's eyes now, too, and despite being burned and hurting and weak the Kyoshi warrior refuses to let them fall. Katara can't say the same for herself, tears flowing down her cheeks in waves while her nausea burst back to life at the smell of her brother's burning flesh. It takes all her strength not to retch and sob and scream. Aang, for all his strengths, doesn't have the same willpower and promptly empties his stomach onto the sand in front of him.

"You children act like warriors and fight like masters," the leader steps away, putting out the flames on his hand, and shakes his head in some sad imitation of mourning as if the loss of their innocence and youth wasn't entirely the fault of his own people, "But you're nothing more than that, really. Children. It's almost pathetic the hope the world has in you."

"What do you _want_?" Katara demands, but it sounds almost pleading to her own ears and she feels even more sick at how weak she sounds.

"To watch the world burn." He responds without hesitation, his orange gaze flitting down to meet her own tearful sapphire eyes. She sees no compassion or care in those eyes, only cold cruelty and a sick sadism. This man truly wants nothing more than for people to suffer at his hand and to be rewarded for his brutality. For the first time that night, Katara is truly scared.

He continues to circle behind them like a whale-shark circled its pray, always moving forward and appearing in their peripherals like a spirit, and continues as if they hadn't interrupted him at all. "Prisoners of war and their fate are usually determined by the men who subdue them. Some naval fleets will drown them, sending their prisoners over the side of their ships in metal cages and dunking them in and out of the waves until the captain decides they've suffered enough for their crimes and figures that next time they'll be fishing out a corpse." Aang dry heaves again and this time Sokka joins him, retching at Katara's right. "Some send their captives back to the Fire Nation so they can be sent off to the proper prison where they can rot away behind bars like animals."

He turns, gaze falling onto Zuko with a hunger that froze Katara in place. "What we do to traitors is much worse." She felt Toph shudder as if she could feel the intensity of those orange irises. The blind bender tucks herself against Katara's side, wide unseeing eyes frightened in a way Katara rarely saw them, and Katara can do nothing more but lean in herself and try to offer silent comfort.

The leader walks behind Zuko, resting his previously flaming hand on the top of Zuko's head. The Prince tries his best to shake it off, grunting in protest beneath the metal on his face, but the hand remains planted firmly in his hair. "Traitors to the Fire Nation are punished for high treason, tortured for their crimes against the Fire Lord until they are nothing but a husk before we send them off to the spirit world. Traitors are less than dirt. Pathetic, useless, and dishonorable." His hand tangles in Zuko hair and he thrust his arm out, almost sending Zuko face-first into the bonfire. The strangled sound that comes from the prince's throat, eyes wide and _scared,_ opens a black hole in Katara's stomach that scoops out her insides and leaves her hollow. "We have these muzzles to humiliate our people. Most firebenders can never hope to breathe fire but the Fire Nation military is well equipped with plenty of these things so if an officer acts out of turn or with disrespect they can be punished accordingly. Not being able to defend yourself is embarrassing enough, but to try and to sound like a muzzled komodo-dog is pathetic." He leans down, his lips almost touching Zuko's ear, and hisses loud enough for them all to here, "How does it feel to be an animal, you dishonored worm?"

He yanks Zuko back, almost sending the firebender toppling onto his back, and huffs a soft laugh at the sign of weakness. He nods to his crew mates and saunters away like he'd accomplished some greater goal. He reconvenes with the other two soldiers and exchanges a few words Katara can't catch before all of them, surprisingly, start climbing the stone staircase leading back up to the Fire Lord's old vacation home. The leader must have gotten cocky after his last show of power, confident that they couldn't escape or else they'd have done so already. He'd likely ransack the place, search for any hidden allies and the Sky Bison that had yet to make an appearance.

"What the fuck," Sokka pants, meeting Katara's eyes with a wide and panicked gaze. There are still tears streaming down her cheeks, her watery gaze sliding down to the perfectly hand shaped burn now curling around Sokka's shoulder. It doesn't look as bad as Suki's own wound, not only smaller but not nearly as deep. A second-degree burn at worst, thank the spirits. "What the _fuck_?" he wheezes again.

"Hey, Sparky?" Toph mutters, pushing away from Katara and leaning into Zuko. He flinches at the content at first, panicked golden irises leaving the fire in front of him to look down at the earthbender curled into his side. Katara notes that he's shaking, fine tremors rolling through his body. The scar on his face suddenly looks more intense than it ever has before, painful and deep and angry. Zuko hums, unable to offer anything else and looking properly humiliated by that fact. Katara's heart pangs so sharply in her chest that for a moment it steals her breath. "Are you okay?" Toph asks, and though the question is laughable there is nothing funny about it. Zuko hums again, neither a no nor a yes and Toph nods into his bicep like she understands, "Yeah, me too."

"Toph, can you turn around?" Aang asks after a long pause, grimacing at how close his own vomit is to his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me when I'm in the right position, this whole sand thing is really fucking me up." Toph assures quickly, and though Katara instinctively wants to berate the girl for her language she can't find her voice to even try. So, Toph wiggles around, using Zuko for support as she squirms around in a careful half-circle.

"Okay, there." Aang stops her when her wrists are pointed almost perfectly in his direction. "Good thing they didn't have one of those things for me." The air nomad beams, nodding at the metal clasped to Zuko's face, and promptly pushes himself to his feet with a strong gust of air from his lips. Sand kicks up around them, crackling in the fire, but Aang pays it no mind as he awkwardly hops over his own puke wobbling until he regained his balance to avoid falling back into the puddle. He shimmies around until his back is facing Toph and carefully lowers himself into a low crouch, tongue peeking through his lips in his childish concentration. He lowers the small chain linking his manacles together into Toph small waiting hands and the second the cold chain touches her fingers a dangerous smile breaks out across her face.

The metal bends easily beneath her fingers and Aang's face breaks into another smile as he neatly bends a stream of water from the waves and slices through the chain connecting the cuffs around his ankles before then cutting the ropes binding Katara's hands. Katara scrambles to free Sokka and Suki with her own bending while Aang frees Toph and Zuko. She knows he doesn't need her help and immediately summons the water onto her hands, giving Suki a quiet warning before she pressed the glowing water to the warrior's scorched side. Suki winces, first, before relaxing in Sokka's arms as the cooling water and the healing bending worked to reduce the pain.

Katara spares a glance in Aang's direction to see him undoing the straps of the horrible muzzle on Zuko's face, tossing the thing angrily into the ocean while Zuko looked away with a soft thanks. It would be embarrassing to be treated like an animal, but for it to be recognized by his entire nation as a humiliation tactic… Katara couldn't imagine the shame he must feel. She frowns but returns her focus to Suki where it's needed most.

Aang, Zuko, and Toph are sent up towards the house to take out the soldiers. Katara wants to fight, too. She yearns for nothing more than a fight where she can put those disgusting men in their place but she knows that she's needed here with Suki and Sokka. She was the only one who could treat their burns and Sokka's broken nose and she knew her friends were more than capable of taking down those bastards all on their own. She wants to be angry that she's left behind when she's capable of more than just healing, when she deserved to hurt them just as much as the rest of them, but even her usual stubborn drive is muted by the horror and shock of tonight. She's okay here, where she can make sure that the people she cares about are okay while she gathers her bearings.

By the time the others return Katara had done all she could for Suki and had moved to set Sokka's nose \, clean the blood from his face, and soothe his burn. Suki's wound was a large blotch of discolored skin and blisters but Katara had managed to at least mostly close it to minimalize the risk of infection before they could properly wrap it with their supplies. The others arrive on Appa, the bison lowering a few yards away and kicking up another large wave of sand that Katara has to raise her arm to shield her eyes from.

Her and Sokka help Suki up onto Appa's saddle where Toph and Zuko pull her up with a care they didn't usually possess. Sokka insists she go up next but she manages to manhandle him up before her with Zuko's help. Katara looks up, ready to climb up all on her own, to see Zuko extending a hand down towards her. She takes it hesitantly, settling down inbetween the firebender and her brother as Aang calls out a swift "Yip, yip!" and sends them up into the air.

For a while, they fly in silence, all huddled together while Katara properly wraps up Suki's side and Sokka's shoulder and brushes of their thanks because it was nothing, really. She's just glad they're okay. She falls back, tired and cold, in her spot between Zuko and Sokka. She curls into Sokka's side, wrapping her arms around her middle and sniffling when Sokka lays his arms across her shoulders to pull her closer. "I thought you'd betrayed us." She says after a long pause. She can feel Zuko tense at her side but he doesn't say anything.

"Why?" Toph asks, and it's not as accusatory as it would've been at any other time. Katara is grateful for that. She didn't want to fight anymore tonight.

"I don't know. I'd just finally accepted you as one of us," She meets Zuko's eyes and he looks at her with such focus because he wants to know _why_ but he doesn't blame her. He never had. "I thought for a second that, maybe, that's what you'd been waiting for all along and then you attacked and I was so hopeful. I wanted you to suffer with the rest of us and that sounds so horrible but it felt so much better than the alternative." She winces at how it sounds, how cruel she feels.

None of them look upset or appalled or angry. They just listen. She doesn't know if that's better or not.

"I don't know why I thought that. You've earned your place among us time and time again now, but I still--"

"It's okay." Zuko assures, cutting her off with a small smile. He'd look almost amused if his eyes weren't so sad.

"It's not." Katara argues from under Sokka's arm and he hugs her just a little closer.

"It is." Zuko insists, and suddenly he has another face she recognizes. Suddenly he looks the same way Sokka did whenever she accidentally dumped snow on him when they were kids. The same way he did when he'd have to sacrifice something for her. The same way he always did when Katara felt like she'd ruined something for him. Zuko looked the same way Sokka did when her brother understood and didn't need her to apologize because he'd do anything for her. Zuko had a lot of big brother faces, it seems, and this time Katara doesn't feel too bad about the warmth it settles in her.

"Old habits die hard, and I'm grateful you ever offered me a chance to prove myself to you." Zuko insists, wincing when Toph punched him the arm but the soft smile stayed on his face anyway. "Sometimes we think things we don't mean, and sometimes we doubt things we shouldn't. I've spent a lot of time hurting you, it's only fair you still hold something against me even after you've forgiven me."   
  
"I trust you." Aang blurts from where he sits on Appa's head, twisting around to offer Zuko a bittersweet smile. "Even after everything, I know you're a good person, Sifu Hotman." The old slang earns a few tired chuckles.

"I trust you, too." Sokka offers and Katara can feel his voice rumble through his chest. "You've proved yourself to us. You're part of the team."

"I mean, you broke me out of prison." Suki jokes, her gentle features set in a warm smile.

"I've never had a reason not to trust you," Toph shrugs, punching Zuko in the shoulder again and smiling despite the glare she clearly knew was being thrown her way. "Besides, you're a shit liar."

Katara smiles almost shyly, "I _do_ trust you, Zuko." She insists.

Zuko nods, lips twitching up yet again, "I know." and Katara knows he means it.


End file.
